Clyde shut out Perkins 23-0 last week and the Pirates and Redskins can both gauge where they stand Friday.

“With Perkins, Huron and Clyde historically the Big 3, they’re always the first one we see,” Carmon said. “You need a little more juice (at practice). We know what they’ll bring. It’s a test. There are questions as to how good we are right now.

“Perkins is tough and beating a team three years in a row would be significant. We’re not looking at the last two years. That’s a different team with their wing-t and the best front-seven we’ve seen to date. We know who they are. They’re talented.”

Port Clinton beat the Pirates 25-22 last season and 33-30 the year before for Perkins’ first loss at its renovated stadium and first home loss since 2011. Emerson Lowe rushed for two touchdowns and Joey Brenner threw another on fourth down for the Redskins’ last season.

“The jury is out,” Carmon said. “We beat them twice, but those were close games. They’re going to throw their best punch.”

Port Clinton beat Norwalk 28-17 and Rossford 41-21 to start the year. Each team has three wins.

The Redskins beat Fostoria 41-19 and Vermilion 48-14 as the Sailors’ scored a touchdown with 14 seconds left. Port Clinton shut out Willard 35-0 last week.

“It started with the offense being a strength with questionable defense,” Carmon said. “The defense has picked it up. We need more consistency in all three phases.”

Senior Jacob McCoy has been steady

“He’s your offensive lineman on the defensive side,” Carmon said. “Your middle linebacker in a 4-3 isn’t flashy. That’s what we want. His growth has been incredible. He’s the captain of the defense.”

Which means he knows why Friday’s matchup is so important.

“We know what week it is,” McCoy said. “It’s the week to step up. They’re the best team we’ve faced. I expect them to come out hard and physical with a chip. They’re hungry against us from the last two years.

Port Clinton plays its first of three straight games at home with Huron and Clyde to follow. Donte McClure rushed for one score and caught a touchdown pass from Joey Brenner last week. McClure had three catches for 54 yards and rushed four times for 70 more. Brenner, who completed 11 of 16 passes and Emerson Lowe each rushed for one score and Darius Daniels returned a punt blocked by Gunar Zink for a touchdown. Zink blocked a punt the previous week as well and leads the team in sacks. Willard was held to negative yardage on the ground and failed to sustain any offense. Darius Daniels recovered a fumble forced by Russell Demarco in last year’s win over Perkins.

Perkins’ offense crossed midfield once – and barely – last week. Dawson Nason completed 7 of 14 passes, including five to Luke Zahniser. Noah Henry was not a factor as the Pirates had 44 yards on the ground. Perkins is the only team to beat both Bellevue and Genoa this season.